Thousands of Chinese await deportation from Canada

About 3,000 Chinese citizens — including some criminals and fugitives — are awaiting deportation from Canada but the Communist government won’t issue travel documents to send them packing, officials say.

“The People’s Republic of China is notorious for not issuing travel documents,” one top Canadian border official said. “A vast majority of Chinese waiting to be removed from Canada require documents.”

The official said the deportees range from failed refugees, criminals and those sought in China for economic crimes.

They are allowed to remain here, with some being allowed to work, due to a lack of travel documents required to deport them to Beijing, the official said.

He said it can take years to obtain a travel document to remove a criminal to China.

Officers of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said about six fugitives sought for economic crimes have been deported to China in recent years. The most high-profile was Chinese fugitive Lai Changxing, who fought for more than 10-years to remain here.

Chinese authorities accused Changxing of masterminding a network that smuggled as much as $10 billion of goods with the protection of corrupt government officials who he plied with cash, prostitutes and booze.

Before fleeing to Canada in 1999, Lai lived a life of luxury in a seven-storey mansion and drove a bulletproof Mercedes-Benz.

Canada and China do not have an extradition treaty and it took appeals to the Federal Court of Canada to finally have him removed.

Chinese officials in the past have requested a list of names of deportees from Canada so they could check their criminal records. But Canadian officials have refused to release the names of the deportees fearing their families may be subject to harassment.